Gerald's story update

Gerald sat at the kitchen table chewing an a piece of toast. He had showered and dressed, and for about an hour he had sat in bed pinching his arms and occasionally slapping his face. This was real, this wasn't another dream. Gerald was sure of it.
'Save the children,' Gerald scoffed, dropping his toast on the plate. He put his head in his hands. 'Fuck.'
He grabbed his jacket and went out for a walk. The early sun shone bright through the closing clouds. Gerald walked past Sally's house, paused, and kept walking. She wasn't real, he thought. Well, at least the Sally he knew wasn't real. He strolled past the local primary school, still too early for any kids. If he had to save the children, whatever that meant, this was a good place to start looking.
Gerald looked in on the play equipment and remembered breaking Tommy Johnson's arm. He tried to remember if he ever saw Tommy after that day. Maybe his parents moved him to another school. Strangely, he couldn't remember seeing Tommy before that day either. His only memory of this boy was the day he hurt him.
Gerald chuckled to himself and shook his head. It's strange how the mind focusses on bad things, he thought. He wandered past the oval and tried to remember his junior football days. He was only on the team for a few weeks. He didn't know the kid that he tackled to the ground. He just knew that he did it.
After walking past the school, Gerald crossed the train tracks and sat at the bus stop. He didn't want to catch a bus, he just needed somewhere to think. The school bus drove past, not stopping. Gerald looked up at the laughing, giggling kids.
A shuddering thump came from under the bus and Gerald already knew what was going to happen. The bus shuddered again and the engine died.
'Perfect,' Gerald sighed, looking up along the train tracks that the bus had stalled on. He stood up and walked over to the side of the bus, standing on the train tracks. None of the kids noticed him, and he heard the driver furiously trying to re-start the engine.
'Naturally,' Gerald sighed again, watching the train come roaring up the tracks towards him. He rested his back against the side of the bus to brace himself and raised his arms towards the train.
The horn sounded and Gerald heard the gasps and cries of the children, muffled by the glass windows of the bus. As the train rushed closer, Gerald closed his eyes.

'Think you know what's going on?'
Gerald raised his eyes and saw the man in the grey jumper sitting next to him at the bus stop. 'Not at all,' he replied.
'Good,' the man chuckled and slapped Gerald's shoulder. 'Best way to be.'
'Maybe,' Gerald sighed and looked over to the stalled bus on the tracks. He saw himself, wedged up against the side of the bus, his hands raised to stop the inevitable.
'The man looked over and chuckled, he pulled a crumpled packet of peanut m&m's from his pocket and began munching on one. 'Reckon that kid'll save 'em,' he said, looking at Gerald up against the bus.
'Hope so,' Gerald replied.
The man looked over to Gerald and did a double-take, 'Well. That's you? Ain't it?'
Gerald nodded, slouching over, his elbows resting on his knees watching himself against the bus.
'Good luck,' the man said and slipped another m&m into his mouth.
'Thanks.' Gerald stretched out on the bus stop bench and got a good look at the man in the hooded jumper. The gash was there, everything was the same as when he last vanished. 'Can I ask you something?'
'Sure,' the man said, offering Gerald an m&m.
Gerald shook his head. 'Who are you?'
'Me?' The man put the packet back in his pocket. 'Oh, I'm just nobody,' he said it with a sly grin.
'Come on, man. Give me something.'
'Okay, Gerald. I'm one of your creations.'
Gerald put his head in his hands. 'What does that mean?' He asked through his fingers.
'You want an explanation, or not? Like I said, best to not know what's going on.'
'Fine,' Gerald said. 'I don't care anyway.'
The man chuckled and looked back over to the bus. 'You'd better hurry up now, kid.'
Gerald sighed and stood up, making his way towards himself.
'Don't kill yourself,' the man called out, before breaking into a fit of laughter.
'Fuck you,' Gerald muttered. He went over to himself, sliding next to him. 'Hey,' he said to his double.
'Hey,' he said back, his arms still raised.
'Reckon you can stop the train?' Gerald asked.
'Hope so,' his double replied, his eyes fixed on the looming mechanical death approaching them.
'Here, let me just get in there,' Gerald said to his double and he took a step closer, finding his body merging with the double.
'Sure,' the double said as Gerald slid into his place. 'Good luck.'
'Yeah,' Gerald sighed to himself.